Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Take A Peek Tuesday! No More Burnt Cookies!

It's Tuesday!  
That crazy day when I show you a little something from my kitchen.

Come on in and Take A Peek!

Last week I showed you my hoard collection of cookie sheets 
and chatted about which ones were my favorites.

This week, it will be one of my favorite cookie 'tools'...




I love these things!

Quite a few bakers use parchment paper, and occasionally I do as well.
But...I'm awful at tearing it off the roll.
And then I have to pull out the scissors to make it fit.
And it always curls up on me.
And then I have put something on the edges to keep the paper flat while I'm cutting out cookies...

UGH!
(then I have to explain to my kids why mommy used one of 'those words')

I'm sticking with my Silpats.

Okay, wait.

Silpat is a name brand, but it's often used for any silicone liner.
Sort of like how we use 'tupperware' for all those storage containers.

There are many different brands out there...all pretty good.




Here's a closer look....pretty similar, right?
Some kind of mesh screen encased in slippery silicone.
The top is smoother than the bottom and typically has printing.







They all do their jobs perfectly.
Cookie bottoms are gorgeous every time!

One of them is a little different though...did you notice?






I bought a few of those Paderno liners at the Williams-Sonoma outlet last summer.
There was a huge sale on bakeware so I couldn't resist.
I noticed the corners at the time, but didn't think anything of them....
until I got them on my cookie sheets.

They stick up a little bit.
Just enough that if I have a cookie close to the corner, it bakes funny.

Huh.

I think I can just cut the corner but I haven't quite gotten around to it yet.

Cleaning is super easy.





Just wipe them down with a soapy sponge.
I spread out a clean kitchen towel and lay it on there after I clean it.







A quick swipe over the top and its dry and ready to go into the drawer!

No, they're not cheap. 
But, they last forever, that silpat is almost 10 years old.
Seriously.

I don't want to know how much 10 years of parchment paper would cost.

Just don't use a knife on them!


For your shopping pleasure...

Amazon

set of 3 MIU



Silpat...comes in different sizes!





If you decide to try them, I'd love to hear what you think!




Thanks for stopping by! Lizy B
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15 comments:

  1. I've never been the first person to comment on Anything! Of course, I may not be seeing the other comments, so there goes my ego....Whatever. GREAT POST about the Silpats. I love them too and until Christmas, I only had 2. But someone in this house knows how helpful it would be to have a few more and Voila! A fantastic Christmas gift, made all the better by a great 'deal' on Amazon (apparently...although I'm not supposed to know that!). I have to admit that I struggled for a while cleaning my Silpat(s)because I worried that they weren't thoroughly clean but then I read that this is normal and I was doing a fine job. And you reinforced that so, Phew. And yes, LizyB, I agree that the bottoms of my cookies are perfect as a result and feel encouraged that I'm not the only person who worries about things like that. The fact is, you can see the back of cookie through a cellophane bag and (I think)it does matter. Love your blog (and your cookies) girl!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. they do always feel slippery don't they! When I was little I loved to embroider and my mom always said that the back of your work should look as good as the front. I still hear her saying that and its definitely carried over into my baking!

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  2. Absolutely will not bake my sugar cookies on anything but Silpat...I've got one for every baking half sheet that I own!

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  3. I always use a silicone liner too! Whenever I've tried parchment the bottoms always brown which drives me crazy. But whatever you do, don't bake your gingerbread cookies on them. I learned that one the hard way.

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    Replies
    1. I'm curious . . . why shouldn't I bake gingerbread cookies on parchment paper? Or did you mean on a Silpat?

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    2. I emailed Debbie and asked because I was curious too! She said that her liners (not parchment) absorbed the spices and whatever she baked on them after that had a faint taste/scent of gingerbread. She was able to remove the spices with a baking soda and water paste, baked on for about an hour. Saved the liner but ruined the cookie sheet.
      I've used mine for peanut butter lots of times without any flavor 'residue'. Must be the cloves!

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  4. Ive been meaning to try one of these liners, thanks for the review! =)

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  5. Believe it or not I don't own one...hmmmm. I've really been meaning to get one, I just never have. I'm gonna have to try them out. Thanks for the great post.

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  6. I love my silpats....they make baking cookies so easy...they make clean up so easy. They are a little pricey, but I pick them up here and there, when I find a sale. Bed Bath and Beyond has a some that are great...and they often have 20% coupons....SCORE!

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    Replies
    1. I never thought of checking for them there! Thanks!

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  7. I could say "ditto" about the whole parchment paper thing! lol I actually just bought some new silicone mats on Amazon. They were a pretty good deal...$15.49 for a two pack! The reviews were good and say they were just as good as the name brand. I'm testing them out tonight! I love the mats and don't use anything else! :) Oh, here is the link to the ones I got. I'll let you know how I like them for future reference. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00629K4YK/ref=oh_details_o00_s01_i00

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  8. Do you use unscented soap on the soapy-sponge? I ruined at least two Silpats by putting soap on them and the scent never left. In fact, it leeched into my sugar cookies no matter how much I rinsed them or soaked them in water. UGH. I use scalding hot water and baking soda now to clean them (and my gold-touch baking pans). But just wondered if you had any tips for avoiding the soap taste/smell.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hmmm...I hadn't thought about scented soap! The soap I use is faintly lemon scented. I'm sensitive to most perfumes and scents so I tend to stay away from those. I definitely don't soak them though....So sorry that happened to you!

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  10. I have a silpat (a gift) and I love it, but I mostly use stoneware (from Pampered Chef)...no prep required and it's non-porous. Also, almost impossible to burn the cookies...I never have anyway:)

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  11. Thanks for responding, Lizy B! I will be sure not to soak them but will keep on using the silpats. Love them.

    ReplyDelete

I love to read your comments (yup...I read each and every one!!!), thanks for taking the time to type out your thoughts! They truly make my day!

Your questions are so much fun, and I try to answer them by emailing you back directly. Please make sure you are not a 'no-reply' blogger so I can reach you!

Thanks everyone!

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